“Words are a writer’s power tools,” says Welsh novelist Mari Strachan, “and it’s crucial to be able to use them effectively.” I couldn't possibly agree more.

When I read I have always paid attention to words – the way they sound, the way they're strung together in lines, phrases and sentences, their emotion and the images and emotions they arouse. Here is an example, from Sherman Alexie's fine novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: “My dad was trying to comfo...